Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez has been a busy man ever since the NBA playoffs as he was hired to be the franchise’s next head coach. Despite the promotion, Fernandez still had the honor of being the head coach for the Canadian National Men’s Basketball team, a squad that got off to a great start in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Team Canada, led by Fernandez, began the Olympics with a great 86-79 win over Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Team Greece on Saturday. It was a close win as the Greek National Men’s Basketball team did what it could to stay in the game since both teams are trying to win the gold medal.
Heading into the Paris Olympics, Fernandez was going to rely on players like Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lead a Canadian team that is deep with NBA talent. Gilgeous-Alexander put up 21 points, five rebounds, and seven assists while Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett put 23 points and four rebounds.
Despite Greece getting a stellar 34-point, five-rebound performance from Antetokounmpo, the next highest-scorer was Kostas Papanikolaou as he finished with 17 points to go along with four rebounds and three assists. Ultimately, Team Canada came out on top thanks to the depth of the team and the quality of Fernandez’s coaching.
Coach and Team Canada now 1-0 in Paris 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/0DkBNwg40x
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) July 27, 2024
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